Jack, someone said to me, “…God forgives whether I ask or not.” Is there a specific scripture to support this statement? Thank you for always helping.
Assuming we’re talking about believers your friend is correct, at least in the eternal sense. Colossians 2:13-14 says that when He went to the cross, the Lord forgave all our sins. To me that means every sin of our life was paid for at the cross, and the moment we are born again they are all forgiven. That’s how He made our salvation secure. So it’s not that He forgives, but that He’s already forgiven, so we don’t ever have to ask for salvation again.
But to remain in good standing with God while we’re here on Earth, we still need to confess when we sin. 1 John 1:9 tells us when we confess the Lord is faithful to forgive and will purify us from all unrighteousness. This has nothing to do with our salvation. We’ll always be His children and our inheritance is guaranteed, but failure to confess our sins can put a strain on our relationship with God and could deprive us of blessings we might otherwise receive. Confessing when we sin keeps us close to God.